Staff turnover.....and I need to vent...

shodobe · May 25, 2005

That has got to be a record for turnovers! I have worked at the same place for 28 years and we might lose a person a year and that is usually because they move. When the staff leaves are they given an oppurtunity to do an exit interview? This is where the problem could be isolated. Does your Administration feel there is aproblem or do they care less? I work with an all RN staff and I have worked with some as long as 10 to 20 years. We just had our longest nurse retire a few months ago, she was here 35 years to the day! We have our problems and we do weed out the people who just don't have a clue. We all work well together, every once in awhile a problem nothing major, because we are all like family. There is definitly something wrong there and Admin should find out before it's too late. Good luck and where are you located? Mike

grimmy, RN · May 25, 2005

wow...that is high turnover. we've got a number of travelers, so that explains a little of our turnover lately (when the summer comes, they all vacation), and we've had a few permanent folks leave, too. but...we have quite a few new folks signed on.

we are one of the most unstable (in terms of employment) groups of nurses in the hospital, and for many reasons: we have no nurse manager (haven't had one in a while), most of the service chiefs are "older" nurses never having worked at any other facility, and feel a certain air of entitlement. most will lord it over the rest of us, and quite a few have intense power-trips going on. while i wouldn't really care, in most instances, there are a few i would never choose to work with. i think that management feels like their hands are tied. they're afraid to lose experienced people who are loyal, but feel powerless to alter their behavior, which tends to alienate anyone new. troublesome.

so, i hardly think that you're alone in turnaround, but 12 in less than a year is pretty high.

ShirleyM · May 28, 2005

I started in Aug 2002. From that point till now we've had 20-25 leave. Of that number, one retired, six were let go and the rest quit. The boss has told us in staff mtg that we're all getting older and are going to be gone, thus needing younger nurses as rationale for why our internships contain 5-6 people. Low morale has a lot to do with it but only because management has instilled that in us by not supporting us against MDs behaving badly, guilting some to work past their assigned shift despite objections, the boss having her favorites who can 'do no wrong' though they drive the rest of us nuts. We had an incident where HR got involved and canned 3 RNs. Two other people were involved but they weren't let go because one is the boss's right hand person and the second person is involved with person #1. Frankly, we are overworked, constantly understaffed and underpaid. Getting time off and/or ordering equipment if you're service co-ordinator is like pulling teeth.. It takes forever for her to approve time off so most of the time you're having to make vacation arrangements last minute. Or you're like my other co workers who say 'screw it' and make arrangments anyway, planning to call in sick if she doesn't approve your days off. Okay, I'm done complaining, does anyone have any insight or advice as to how I can make my workplace more pleasant or how to deal with management. BTW, if anyone is planning to move to Dallas, TX be sure to let me know...I'll tell you where NOT to go.....:uhoh21: